Well looky here! Midwest (tel. 800/452-2022; www.midwestairlines.com) has a new sale to/from Milwaukee. The only problem? It's not that great. However, whilst poking around that sale, we did find plenty of other fares - good ones! - on Midwest routes that don't include Milwaukee. And with the exact same rules of purchase as their advertised Milwaukee sale! Take a look:

All fare must be purchased by March 30 (14 day advance purchase) and are good for travel between April 7 and October 2. For more of these fares, check our city pages for Minneapolis, Grand Rapids, and Appelton.

Fly 3, Get 1 Free on JetBlue

Here's a great deal for commuters and, well, anyone else who appreciates getting something for nothing. Take three trips between any of the cities below and JetBlue (tel. 800/538-2583; www.jetblue.com) will give you a certificate good for a free flight to any of the same routes:

Boston, MA to:

Buffalo, NY

Charlotte, NC

New York, NY/JFK

Pittsburgh, PA

Raleigh, NC

Richmond, VA

Washington, D.C./Dulles

New York, NY (JFK) to:

Burlington, VT

Buffalo, NY

Charlotte, NC

Pittsburgh, PA

Portland, ME

Raleigh-Durham, NC

Richmond, VA

Rochester, NY

Syracuse, NY

Washington, D.C./Dulles

In order to qualify for your "free" flight, your three roundtrip flights must be booked and completed between March 25 and June 17. All customers on a reservation are eligible to qualify for this promotion as long as they register for the promotion prior to their first qualifying flight and meet all other requirements. Retroactive credits cannot be issued to customers who booked flights on or before March 25. The JetBlue Travel Certificate will be issued on or after July 1 for travel through December 15. Taxes, fees, and restrictions apply. Register for this promotion here.

Free Flights on China Airlines

Turning 50 this year? Congratulations! China Airlines (tel. 800/227-5118; www.china-airlines.com) is offering free flights to those born in 1959. Just fly with a fully paid passenger, sharing the same reservation, and you're good to go. This offer is good for outbound travel between February 20 and April 30, for flights departing from San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Honolulu, and Vancouver - traveling to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Manila, Delhi, and Mainland China. Visit China Airlines' website or call 800/227-5118 for more information about this sale.

Delta's Central America & Mexico Sale for the ATL

Atlantans looking to head farther south should check out Delta's (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com) latest sale to Central American and Mexico. This sale is good for travel through May 31, and blackout dates include April 2-14, and May 21-26. All fares must be booked by March 30 and include:

Alaska Airlines (tel. 800/426-0333; www.alaskaair.com) has released their latest batch of web-only sale fares. Dates of travel vary according to destination, but the majority are good for travel between April 3 and August 14. Fares include:

It's crunch time for summer travel buys to Europe. Or (arched eyebrow) is it? As we've noted before, spring/summer fares have jumped from the $200-$300 lows of early March to $500-$700. Will they continue to rise? We're shrugging our shoulders here. But we do have some advice on how you can better your chances of scoring a good deal!

1. Check fares every day. International fares typically only change once and day, and they do change, sometimes by hundreds of dollars up or down. Sign up for all the alert systems -- Farecompare, Airfarewatchdog, Yapta, Orbitz, Travelocity, Kayak, Farecast... What's particularly good about Airfarewatchdog's alerts is that we open the consumer's eyes to possibilities they might not have been considering (you were planning on going to Paris in July but it's $1,200, and beyond your budget? What if we send you our list of fares from New York showing Venice in July for $400? Well, you might just change your plans).

2. Once you find a fare you like on an online travel agency (OTA), check the airline's site. Many international airlines don't share their best deals with the OTAs... you could save a bundle by buying direct. But that works in reverse sometimes too (an OTA might have a fare on Virgin Atlantic, for example, for hundreds less than Virgin is selling it for). Needless to say, Airfarewatchdog checks the airlines' sites and compares them with OTA's and list the lower fare if we find one.

3. Book with United and at least you'll get a voucher refund with no "fee" deducted should the fare go down between the time you buy and the time you fly, as long as nothing changes but the fare (no day, time, or flight changes). Most international airlines are "you buy it you fly it".

Ac-cent-tu-ate the Positive: Isn't There Anything You Like About Flying?

And Here's a little pick-me-up that'll restore your faith in airlines: After last week's call for travel gripes, we asked folks to counter with their most positive travel experiences. As in, when you leave the airport feeling pretty wowed by your airline. Ever feel like that? These people sure have, and it's all very reassuring! If you haven't already, be sure to take a look, and share your own story.

Additional Reporting by Tracy W. Stewart

George Hobica is a syndicated travel journalist and blogger whose website, www.airfarewatchdog.com, tracks unadvertised airfare wars and fare sales, including the most helpful and always updated Top 50 Airfares.